Monthly Archives:

June 2016

Wanderlust (noun, wan-der-lust, ˈwän-dər-ˌləst): a strong desire to travel (Merriam Webster). Wanderlust is a term coined by the millennial generation caused by a shift in mindset from products to experiences. An increase of interest in travel is evident as the majority of students and young professionals today would rather collect experiences rather than products. The trend is apparent in other demographics in society, but not as prevalent. This interest in travel and culture has coincidentally peaked in parallel with social media-perhaps a consequence of individuals being exposed to other cultures, places, and opportunities online. Whether traveling across the globe or across town, people are consistently taking photos and sharing them with their peers through social media. However, it is likely that a bulk of photos taken will be kept private and archived for personal reflection.

Last Look is a platform where travelers can upload, comment and edit photos for their own private use. The app can be used to categorize and share photos with fellow travelers to stay in touch or keep on file prior to posting on social media at a later date. It is apparent that there are a variety of different methods to share photos digitally: email, Facebook, google drive, a shared photo album on an iPhone, and more. However, email is time consuming, Facebook has privacy implications, you can’t comment on singular photos on google drive, and you must have an Apple device to ‘share’ an album via an iPhone. Alas, Last Look creates a simple, protected, effective way to communicate with peers while traveling and sharing photos. Last Look gives groups of travelers the chance to connect, share and reminisce.

Following are a handful of tips to organize travel photos with your friends, family and fellow travelers.

1. Projects can be organized by travel destination, fellow travelers or date/time.

2. If traveling in a group, you can have one central project where all photos are archived.

3. Specific “projects” can be shared with people you meet while traveling.

4. Once the photos have been liked or “approved” by your fellow travelers you can post to social media.

5. Stay in touch with newfound friends you meet abroad by commenting and liking the photos shared with them at a later date.

Men’s fashion week is taking the world by storm. Although men’s designers have always had a prominent place in the industry, fashion has stereotypically been a women-dominated industry. In recent years, women have began to appear in men’s fashion shows, however this season it has become commonplace. At the London Collections: Men a myriad of women models walked the runway, portraying the integration of men’s and women’s, once segregated, identities in fashion.

It is not the first time designers have cast women, but it was never a prevailing theme. Among many other shows, women walked at Public School, Coach, Craig Green, and Christopher Raeburn. There are many reasons that designers are now showcasing women and women’s clothing during men’s fashion week. For example, the female models and apparel foreshadow the upcoming women’s collection, which could perhaps incentivize buyers to attend more men’s shows. If true, the increase in buyer attention will inevitably bring about more press attention. Many designers have merged their men’s and women’s shows completely. A strategy that is manifesting among both the emerging and more seasoned designers.

Overall, women’s prominent presence at LCM exhibits that we are living in an increasingly genderless, androgynous world. The LBGT community has fostered a buzzy social media revolution, which has inspired fashion brands to join the movement with transgendered brand ambassadors, models, uni-sex campaigns and collections.

The framework was simple–50 speakers, over 500 attendees and 12 questions–but the content was relatively weighty. Simon Collin’s first Fashion Culture Design unconference proved to be a success as a crowd of industry trailblazers, global leaders, students, and teachers convened at Parsons School of Design to discuss key issues about the fashion industry at large. Subjects from sustainability and fashion week to social media and millennials were all discussed in an “unfiltered” environment. Unfiltered that is except when “swear words” such as disruption, influencers, or game changer were used on stage, a donation to MSF (Doctors Without Borders) was made.
One of the most intriguing conversations revolved around the structure and strategy behind fashion week–a hot topic of discussion lately with the release of CFDA and The Boston Consulting Group’s study. The fashion calendar is comprised of a heavy, labor-intensive schedule that exhausts designers to produce collections at a rapid rate of 5 times per year (Spring RTW, Fall RTW, Pre-Fall, Resort, and Couture). Today, a lot of designers are breaking the cycle and designing “buy now, wear now” collections. A lot of brands are experimenting with these new opportunities(to design on their own schedule) to figure the best way to sell to their target consumers. Furthermore, many designers are straying away from the extravagant runway show, opting for a more personal and intimate presentation. The industry is at a pivotal stage of transition and the need for organization, communication, and structure is paramount.

Innovation is at the core of resolving these issues and fashion tech apps such as Last Look can aid in the motion towards a more efficient fashion calendar. Brands such as Rebecca Minkoff, Tom Ford and Burberry have implemented a “see now, buy now” sales strategies where products are instantly available for sale once they hit the runway. Through Last Look images can be edited internally and approved quickly so they are readily available for the consumer to purchase on their website, social media or elsewhere. The industry is evolving, download Last Look and don’t get left behind.

Market exhibitions such as Magic Vegas, Project New York, and ENK are large-scale fashion marketplaces that showcase the latest in apparel, footwear, accessories, and manufacturing. These events are vital to a store’s success buyers strategize what products they would like to prospectively stock. There are a wide variety of brands that attend the market exhibitions giving buyers a lot of options, but also a lot of time consuming decisions to make.

Last Look can help drive efficiency and decrease the amount of time spent selecting products for a store. Most companies have a handful of team members attend market, but it be beneficial if the individuals that aren’t at the exhibition could see the product selection in real time and give their input. Individuals could comment, edit, and approve the season’s upcoming product mix in a fast, efficient manner. By the time the buyers leave the exhibition, all of the product photos could be proactively screened. The export aspect of the app is very beneficial for circumstances such as this given the photos could be passed along to multiple teams and departments. Furthermore, the projects can be separated by season and kept on hand as an additional archive.

On the opposing side, brands that are attending market to sell their products could utilize Last Look as well. If products are uploaded on the app, then associates can take note of buyers’ comments on the corresponding product photo. Consequently, the app can help a brand tailor its product line to the most attractive pieces, further innovating and improving the company’s design, aesthetic, and profitability.

One of the best parts of an engagement is shopping for the wedding accessories, of course. However, despite how much fun shopping for the “big day” can be, it can also be stressful. A bride has a lot of pressure to find flawless accessories that portray her unique style, beauty, and love. Hence why brides tend to bring their closest friends and family shopping to find the wedding dress and accessories of their dreams. The dress is always a showstopper and most of the time takes precedence, while the accessories are often left as the final touch like frosting on a cake.

Last Look is the quintessential platform for gaining feedback for small wedding details such as the bride’s shoes, bags, or jewelry. All of the accessories can be reviewed, discussed, and finally approved. The bride can easily keep photos confidential or tailored to a specific viewing party by strategically adding certain individuals to particular “projects” on the app. For example, the groom traditionally can not see the wedding dress, so he could only have access to projects such as the location or flowers.The separation of projects can be a huge organizational asset as there are so many tasks at hand when planning a wedding–large or small.

For the all of the brides who resonate with the roller coaster of emotions that comes with shopping for the perfect wedding accessories, we are here to help. Take the wedding planning one approval at a time with Last Look and keep reading for five chic, quirky, and covetable wedding accessories for the modern-day bride.